We
raise butterflies as part of our commitment as a 501(c)(3)
Not-for-profit foundation.We aim to educate everyone in the United States
and beyond about habitat loss and what they can do to assist native
animals. A major part of that commitment is the free training
and seeds we offer to restore habitats, to help native butterflies
thrive in Natural conditions.Hopefully
your backyard!

These
two pictures are of our new state of the art facility
in South Florida. It houses over 20,000 milkweed plants
at any given time. It is certified to ship plants to all
states and is completly pest proof, so we never use pesticides.

The
picture at left is of a bare root cutting only 30 days
old. Grown in oxygenated water with controlled nutrients
to promote fast and stress free growth. The resulting
plants are incredibly healthy. Caterpillars know the difference
and this results in super healthy, long lived butterflies.
This high tech system eliminates the concern of raising
livestock with paracites. Our total commitment starts
before the first seed is planted and extends well beyond
an order or butterfly release.

A
milkweed in every yard and the skies filled with color
forever.

Butterflies
are beautiful! but not all are created equal. If you are
looking for the most magical experience possible...it is all
in the breeding. Buy based on commitment and quality as looking
at price alone may ruin an otherwise perfect memory.

99%
of all problems are eliminated by using reputable breeders.
Please help us protect Nature and these beautiful and meaningful
event releases for future generations. These questions have helped improve the Butterfly release industry and it is our commitment to further the spread of best practices and no excuses for less then perfect experiences for all involved.

Ask
the following questions:

Do
you personally raise your butterflies?

Yes,
is the best answer as this person should be able to
answer the following questions easily. Many of the
businesses that offer butterflies do not raise their
own and may unknowingly be supporting substandard
practices. We have seen illegally imported, wild caught
and disease ridden butterflies shipped to weddings
and events only to die in transit or ruin the event
by their poor appearance or weak condition after release.
It is a crime to ship illegally wild caught butterflies
and hurts local populations.

What
do you feed your caterpillars?

Unfortunately
some breeders due to their location are unable to grow
enough healthy plants to feed their caterpillars and
resort to artificial diets. These diets typically produce, small butterflies. If you are going to spend
the money for a large Monarch would you be as happy
with one that is half the size? The other sad fact is
that a smaller butterfly will not be as likely to mate
or survive as long once released.

How
long have you been raising / selling butterflies?

This
question is primarily for evaluation of the business
and wheather they will be there later to help you with
any unforeseen problems.

How
many butterflies do you raise in a season?

You
should always seek out newly emerged butterflies for
your event. Breeders with few butterflies to offer may
send older individuals which may not arrive alive and
will have lost much of their bright coloration.

How
do you pack your butterflies for shipment?

This
is a very important question as some do a
miserable job. Butterflies must be individually packaged
in clear envelopes or thin folded boxes and shipped
in a refrigerated container by overnight delivery if
coming from a distance. Many businesses do not warranty
the safe delivery and if a problem occurs you are responsible.

Are
your butterflies guaranteed disease free? Do you check?

This
is where you need to scare them a little. You only want
disease free butterflies and will be very unhappy (charge
back) if the butterflies that arrive are not perfect.
Unfortunately too few people know anything about butterflies
and allow substandard practices to continue. The release
of any butterfly should be a wonderful gift to the environment.
Please help us make that a reality before the practice
is outlawed because of the shady practices of a few
bad apples.

What
is your satisfaction guarantee?

Without
a written guarantee you may be without recourse if there
is a problem. You want a complete satisfaction guarantee
including shipping charges.

For
the past several years we have carefully evaluated each facet
in the butterfly lifecycle and know exactly how to keep butterflies
and their off spring healthy, happy and prolific. It all begins
with very healthy disease free plants. Without perfect plants
the caterpillars are stressed and you get smaller butterflies
with less vigor and shorter life spans. We have switched largely from ground
grown to hydroponically grown plants. The plants are nearly perfect:
Disease free, parasite free, fast growing and have low toxicity.
Caterpillars love the leaves and the results are clearly noticeable
in their size and overall health. We believe artificial diets
should only be a last resort to stave off starvation and not the
primary food source for rapidly growing caterpillars. Again our
commitment is to the creation of new habitats for butterflies
and the promotion and creation of naturally sustainable plant
resources.